1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a package and process for the convenient administration of activated charcoal to a patient, especially under emergency conditions. More particularly, it relates to such a package and process which will allow dry, finely divided activated charcoal to be mixed with a liquid at the time of use while preserving dose integrity and avoiding the soiling of surroundings with the dry activated charcoal or the mixture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the standard techniques for the emergency treatment of drug overdose or poisoning cases in which the drug or poison has been swallowed is the administration of finely divided activated charcoal which has been mixed with a liquid, either orally or through a stomach tube. The activated charcoal adsorbs the drug or poison which remains in the patient's gastro-intestinal tract to inactivate the drug or poison rapidly.
One drawback in this remedy as presently practiced is that the activated charcoal has a short life when it is mixed with water or other pharmaceutically acceptable liquid. Therefore, the conventional practice is to mix the finely divided activated charcoal with the liquid at the time of use. Mixing the activated charcoal with water or other liquid in an open container is a messy procedure, because a portion of the dry powder tends to become airborne when the water is added to it rather than being wetted. Also, the mixing is done under emergency conditions, when it is desired to introduce the mixture to the patient's stomach as soon as possible to avoid further adsorption of a drug or poison into the patient's blood stream. The activated charcoal-liquid mixture is not appealing to a conscious patient, especially a child. The usual result from these factors is to soil both the clothes of emergency room personnel as well as emergency room facilities during administration of this remedy. The perceived unpleasantness of the black liquid mixture and the airborne loss of a portion of it also mean that significantly less than the actual intended dose will often arrive in the patient's stomach. These factors further mean that the remedy is not easily administered in the field by paramedics when the time to transport a victim to an emergency room might make a critical difference in survival.
There are a wide variety of packages for administering various liquids to patients, either with or without mixing powdered materials with the liquids prior to administration. Examples of such packages are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,917,047; 3,587,576; 3,645,262; 3,726,276; 3,773,243; 3,818,910; 3,865,107; French Pat. No. 11,495; and Norwegian Pat. No. 33,657. However, none of these packages or devices are particularly adapted for use with activated charcoal. A need, therefore, still remains for a package and process for administering activated charcoal to patients which will overcome the above problems.